Publications:
Christian Science Monitor
You & Me Magazine
The American in Italia
Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak
My Story:
When I was 8 years old, I made a couple life-defining declarations. First, I wanted to be an author. I said it out loud and got skipped over for the next kid who wanted to be the President of the United States. So, I rethought my answer, raised my hand and said I wanted to be a CEO. I had no idea what a CEO was, but I knew it sounded important, and I knew my answer was more unique than the blasé President answer. My teacher nodded in approval.
Second, I wanted to move into my friend Blanca's house so I could speak Spanish. I longed to speak another language. Any language. But my parents refused. And so, the corporate world was my focus.
I have been a corporate event planner, sponsorship marketing guru, employee communications manager, executive communications writer, and a fundraiser. In all of these jobs, I've told stories, but never my own. I spent countless hours using my creative outlet for something that was work and not fun.
After taking the senior citizen cruise to Alaska with my Grandma, I met and later married an Italian waiter from the ship. We lived with his parents on their farm in the Abruzzo for a year so I could learn Italian. I wrote a few essays from that experience that were published. I was taking baby steps in finding my courage to be creative.
Back in the U.S. and drained of energy from work, the free time I had was often spent with the TV and a glass of wine. I knew I needed a change when I couldn't answer the question - what are your hobbies? But to change meant that I needed more courage.
That came when I sat down to write a book, something I'd convinced myself that I could never do. A year later, I picked up a paint brush for the first time. I started playing with a podcast. I made an attempt at drawing. Suddenly, I no longer had to be perfect. I just had to try, explore, and play.
I hope this site inspires you to try something fun, to celebrate the quirky bits in life, and to giggle, laugh, and muster up your own courage to put yourself out there. If it does, tell me about it. Let's play together!